Of shenandoah



A. RHODES. LIFTING JACK.

(No Model.)

,No. 544,264. Patented Aug. 6. 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY RHODES, OF SHENANDOAH, IOWA.

LlFTlNG-JACK.

5PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,264, dated August6, 1895.

Application filed January 25, 1895. Serial No. 536,173. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ANTHONY RHODES, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Shenandoah, Page county, State of Iowa, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Lifting-Jacks; and my preferredmanner of carrying out the invention is set forth in the following full,clear, and exact description, terminating with claims particularlyspecifying the novelty.

This'invention relates to lifting-jacks, and more especially to thatclass thereof employ ing a lever; and the object of the same is toeffect certain improvements in devices of this character, whereby theraising of the load to any given height and the letting down of the samewill be facilitated.

To this end the invention consists in the details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed, and as illustrated in the drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of this jack ready for use. Fig. 2is a similar view of the same, showing it in full lines in the act ofbein g raised and in dotted lines as completely raised and locked. Fig.3 is a plan view, and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4.

Referring to the drawings, the letter B designates a base, and U is anupright rising from a point at or near the front edge of the basesupported bya brace b at its rear edge, and havinga ratchet R in itsfront edge.

The letter S designates an upright standard or liftingbar, preferablyhaving secured to its front edge a projection P, which may be passedunder comparatively-low vehicles for the purpose of lifting them andhaving its upper end provided with a lifting-face which may be slightlydished, as shown.

L designates a pair of links pivoted at one end to the opposite side ofthe bar near its center, passing astride the upright U, and having neartheir opposite end slots Z, which slide over a bolt L, seated in one ofa number of holes Z in the upright.

O designates the operating-lever, which is preferably forked, as shownin Fig. 3, passes astride the upper end of the upright, is mounted on apivotal bolt 19 in one of a number of holes 19 through said upright, andhas an at* taching bolt 0 engaging one of a number of holes 0 in the barnear its upper end. The

the base.

fork of the lever mayalso be provided with a series of holes 0 for thepurpose of further adjusting the bolt-O.

All parts of this device are of the desired sizes, shapes, materials,and proportions, and considerable change in the specificdetails ofconstruction may be made without departing from the principle of myinvention. By preference, however, the base is about six inches.

the upright about twenty six by twelve, inches high, the lifting-barabout fourteen inches long, and the links and lever of theproperproportionate sizes, the latter being preferably about two andone-half feet in length.

The device is shown in operation in Fig. 2, wherein A designates theaxle of a vehicle. To lift the axle, the pivots are adjusted in theproper hicle. The entire jack may be then canted slightly forward on itsbase, as seen in full lines in Fig. 2, which is permitted by the factthat the upright rises from the front end of The lifting-face at theupper end of the bar S is passed under the axle A to such extent thatthe axle rests on said face, preferably at a point nearer the upright Uthan the pivotal connection 0 between'the lever O and the bar S, whichis facilitated, as will be seen, by the arrangement of a series of holes0 near the remote edge of the bar, in one of which the pivotalconnection 0 may engage. The handleof the lever is then borne down upon,so that the axle is raised and the wheel is lifted off the ground, andit will be observed that as the weight is inside of the pivot O thelower end of the bar is at this time thrown out from the upright. Afterhaving raised the axlethe desired distance the operator draws the entireupper end of the jack toward him by pulling on the handle of the lever,and this motion not only brings the base B fiat onto the ground, butcauses the lower end of the bar S to swing inward and engage with one ofthe ratchet-teeth R, the slots Z in the links L sliding over the bolt Land permitting this swinging movement of the bar. The handle is thenslightly raised to drop the lower end of the bar onto the ratchet-teeth,which latter thereafter support the weight of the vehicle. To again dropthe wheel onto the ground, it is only necessary to depress the holesaccording to the size of the vev ICC handle sufiiciently to cause thebar to rise slightly, and the weight being then inside the pivotal point0 the lower end of the bar is thrown outward and disengaged from theratchet R. In rare instances, however,it may be undesirable to have theabove-described disconnecting action take place automatically, and Ihave, therefore, provided a single pivotal hole 0, which passes throughthe lifting-bar near its upper end and inside of its transverse center.When the lever is pivoted by bolt 0 through this hole, as seen in Fig.1, it will be obvious that the weight of the axle on the upper end ofthe bar will cause the lower end to swing inward toward the uprightinstead of outward. \Vith this construction the lower end of the barwill automatically engage the teeth without the necessity for tiltingthe jack at all, and when it is desired to lower the axle the lower endof the bar must be disconnected from the ratchet by hand.

\Vhat is claimed as new is 1. In a lifting jack, the combination with anupright having aratohet in its front edge, and a lever pivoted betweenits ends to the upper end thereof; of an upright lifting bar adjacentsaid front edge with its lower end adapted to engage the ratchet teeththerein, a pivot connecting the forward end of the lever with the barnear its upper end and at a point to one side of the transverse centerof the bar, links pivoted to'the body of the bar near its center andhaving slots in their outer ends, and a bolt or pin through the uprightover which said slots slide, as and for the purpose Set forth.

2. In a lifting jack, the combination with a base, an upright risingfrom the front end of the base and having a ratchet in its front edge,and a lever pivoted between its ends to the upper end of the upright; ofalifting bar whose lower end is adapted to engage the teeth of saidratchet and whose upper end is provided with a lifting face, a pivotthrough the front end of the lever and the body of the bar near theupper end of the latter and at one side of its transverse center, andmeans substantially as described for limiting the horizontal movement ofthe lower end of the bar, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a lifting jack, the combination with an upright having a ratchetin its front edge, and a forked lever pivoted between its extremitiesastride the upper end of the upright; of a lifting bar whose lower endis adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet and whose upper endpasses through and extends above the fork of the lever, a pivot throughsaid fork and bar at that side of the transverse center of the latterremote from the upright, links pivoted to opposite sides of the bar nearits center and having slots in their outer ends, and a bolt through saidupright and over which the slots slide, as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my signature on this the21st day of January, A. D. 1895.

ANTHONY RHODES.

